Buffer for railway-cars.



No 7u-,s4e. A Patented Oct. 2|, 1902-.

' 'w.. F. RICHARDS.

BUFFER FoR RAILWAY cARs.

(Application filed Mar. 10, 1902.) (No Model.) 2 Sheetsr-Sheot I.

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No. 7||,s4s. Patented Oct. 2|, I902. w. F. RICHARDS.

"BUFFER FOB RAILWAY CABS.

(Application filed Mar. 10, 1902.

' (No Model.) 2 shuts-sum 2.

a; uvfi- I M UNITED STATES I PATENT OEEIcE.

WILLARD F. RICHARDS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, AS SIGNOR TO GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

BUFFER FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 711,646, dated October 21, 1902.

Application filed March 10, 1902. Serial No. 97,390. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bufialo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Bufiers for Railway-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railway-car buffor of the type disclosed in my United States Letters Patent No. 495,061, dated April 11, 1893, in which the yielding transverse buffer plate or head is mounted so as to permit it to assume the necessary angle to hold the plate or head in contact throughout its transverse length with the corresponding buffer plate or head of another car when rounding curves.

In cars which are operated on roads having very abrupt curves or bends it is necessary in order to maintain the contact of adjacent buffers throughout their transverse length in rounding the curves to allow a greater angular movement of the buffers than is permitted by the construction described in my said patent. It is desirable to retainthe same general con-v struction of the buffer, and to do this and get the extended angular movement the siderighting springs of the buffer must be lengthened. The springs in the patented. buffer could not be lengthened sufliciently to allow the necessary angular movement of the buffor without changing the car construction or cutting the end sill, neither of which is practical.

The object of the present invention is to pro duce a buffer of the same general type as that of my said patent which will have a greater angular movement, which is of simple and desirable construction, and which will not necessitate any change in the car construction.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figurel is a plan view of a bufier embodying the invention and showing the same applied to the car-platform frame. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a'horizontal section showing the cooperating buffers on the adjacent ends of two cars in their angular position. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation on the line 4 4, Fig. 3, showing oneof with an extended base or foot f.

the side buffer stemsand springs. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section through the buffer-stem and spring buifer-block on line 5 5, Fig. 4.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents a bufier plate or head, which, asusual, is arranged transversely in front of the platform and sill and carried by side stems -B B anda center stem 0.

0 represents the sliding thrust; hold-plate, which is fixed to the bufier-plate and slides beneath the fixed foot-plate a. Each of the stems is pivotally connected at its front end to the bufierplate and passes rearwardly throughan opening 0, provided therefor in the platform end sill a. central stem slides in a guide-bracket or the likeD, rigidly secured to the'car or platform frame and preferably, as shown, abutting against the end sill'd of the car. Between the guide-bracket and a shoulder or enlargement e on the central stem are the usual light and heavy bufier-springs e, which surround the stem. The rear end of each side stem passes loosely through an opening fin a sliding spring-abutment or block F,which is provided The stem can slide through and also has a lateral or tilting movementin the openingf. The foot of the abutment-block extends forwardly beside the side stem and is mounted to slide back and -forth on the adjacent longitudinal sill G of the car. In the construction shown in the drawings a guide-plate g is secured, as by bolts, to

the outer face of the longitudinal sill and provided with overhanging longitudinal flanges 9', between which the extended base f of the abutmentblock engages.

which the sliding abutment-block is adapted to abut and which limits the rearward movement of the latter. The rear portions of the side stems are preferably reduced,-so as to provide shoulders h on the stems, and on the reduced portions of the stems slide followerplates H, which are adapted to abut against the shoulders h.

I represents side buffer-springs, one of which surrounds the reduced portion of each side The rear end of the I The guideplate for the sliding abutment is provided at its rear portion with a stop 9 against stem between the follower-plate H thereon and the sliding abutment-block F. Each side stem is provided in rear of the abutmentblook with a pin or the like J, which is adapted to engage the rear side of the abutmentblock and slide the latter forwardly when the stem is moved forwardly. The springs in the normal position of the bufier (shown in Fig. 1) force the follower-plates forwardly against the platform end sill andforce the sliding abutment-blocks rearwardly against the stops g on the guide-plates. The sliding abutment -blocks being held from further rearward movement by the stops and the follower-plates being held from further movement on the stems by the shoulders h the stems are pushed forwardly until the follower-plates are arrested by the platform end sill and the buffer-plate is yieldingly held in its normal position. When the buffer-plate is moved into an inclined or abnormal position-as indicated, for instance, in Fig. 3 one of the side stems is permitted to slide rearwardly in the opening in the abutmentblock, and the spring surrounding this stem is compressed between the follower-plate H, which is carried rearwardly by the shoulder h on the stem and the abutment-block. The abutment-block for the opposite side stem is moved forward by the engagement of the pin J on the stem with the rear side of the abutmentblock, and the spring surrounding this stem is compressed between the spring-block and the follower-plate H, which is prevented from moving forward with the stem by reason of its contact with the rear side of the platform end sill. Preferably plates j are secured to the rear face of the platform end sill to serve as stops for the follower-plates H. When the buffer-plate is moved to an inclined position in either direction, both of the side bufiersprings are compressed, one by the rearward movement of its stem and the other by the forward movement of its stem, so that both springs are effective in righting the bufferplate or turning the same to its normal transverse position.

The described construction and arrangement of the sliding abutment-plates gives a strong desirable construction and enables the use of longer side springs where the same or even less space than usual is afforded between the platform and end sills. Owing to the increased length of the springs and the loose engagement of the side stems in the abutto move with the stems when the latter are moved in the opposite direction, and stops for said followers and for said abutments, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a buifer, stems pivotally connected to said buffer at opposite sides of its center and passing loosely through openings in the platform end sill, fixed guides, spring-abutments provided with forwardlyextending portions slidably mounted on said guides, a follower slidably mounted on each stem and adapted to abut against said platform end sill, stops for said slidable abutments, and a spring surrounding each of said stems between said follower and said abutment, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a platform-frame comprising longitudinal sills and an end sill, of a buffer, stems pivoted to said buffer at opposite sides of its center and extending rearwardly through openings in said end sill, said stems having reduced rear portions, guides on said longitudinal sills, abutments provided with forwardly-extending portions slidably mounted on said guides and having openings through which the reduced portions of said stems loosely pass, pins or the like secured to said stems in rear of said abutments, stops for limiting the rearward movement of said abutments, follower-plates slidably mounted on the reduced portions of said stems and adapted to abut against said end sill, and a spring surrounding the reduced portion of each stem between the follower-plate and said abutment, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 25th day of February, 1902.

WILLARD F. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

JNo. J. BONNER, CLAUDIA M. BENTLEY. 

